Today more and more people are discovering the pleasures of eating seasonal, locally grown produce, and farmer’s markets are popping up all over the city and surrounding suburbs.  However, if you are seeking an even more holistic experience, and would like to meet the people who grow your food or simply want to experience the region’s terroir, take a short trip out of the city to Pick. at Garden Patch Farms!

I was recently invited to Pick. at Garden Patch Farms to visit with Tony and Molly and tour the beautiful farm, so that I can experience and document the various stages of farm production, from seed to harvest! Molly gave me a detailed tour and explained the stages in preparation for the year’s harvest. They started out by sprouting seeds in their large green houses, which will later be transplanted outdoors, which takes place in the second or third week of May.

Pick. At Garden Patch Farms is a farmer’s market situated on 30 gorgeous acres of prime farmland in Homer Glen, Illinois, just 40 minutes from downtown Chicago. The Hiller family has worked this land for nearly a century, and their wealth of experience in growing regional foods is apparent in the quality of everything they produce.

While some guests like simply to browse the extensive farm market, many demand absolute freshness and like to harvest their own fruits and vegetables. For $5 per visit, or $25 for a yearly pass, you can pick your own produce as fresh as you can get, while eating seasonally, supporting a local farming tradition, and even getting to know your grower! This is the definition of whole food.

For the next several months, I will take my readers along on a tour of Pick. at Garden Patch Farms to document all the stages of growth on the way to harvest, and will include recipes prepared with fresh produce from Pick. Be sure to check back regularly throughout the growing season for updates, recipes, and of course lots of photos!

I love the unique system Pick. has setup to grow strawberries. The water flows throughout the pots down into bottom black planters that hold radishes

Sprouted strawberry plant

Below is list of the seasonal produce and when they are available at Pick. at Garden Patch Farms.

Pick. at Garden Patch Farms
14158 W. 159th Street, Homer Glen, IL 60491
(708) 301-7720
info@gardenpatchfarms.com